Story Highlights

SPOKANE, Wash. – Earlier that week he'd endured the embarrassment of being suspended for an unspecified violation of university rules.

But on Feb. 1 at the Carpenter Center, Jarvis Threatt didn't hide.

For all to see, he stood up in the bleachers behind the basket, waving his arms and cheering for his Delaware teammates as they eked out a 66-65 win over UNC-Wilmington.

A month later, in his second game back, the junior point guard had a career-high 13 assists and made 11 of 14 foul shots as Delaware downed the College of Charleston 89-86 to win the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title and earn the CAA Tournament's top seed.

Nine days after that, Threatt was named CAA Tournament MVP after the Blue Hens' heart-stopping 75-74 victory over William & Mary.

Delaware's long-shot chances are certainly boosted Thursday at the Spokane Arena by the presence of the mercurial Threatt, whose basketball skills have wowed fans and foes while his laid-back personality has sometimes tested coaches.

"He is a talented young man who had a breakthrough on the court this year," Delaware coach Monte Ross said. "He just decided he wanted to be the best he could be. The sky is still the limit for him."

Threatt and the No. 13-seeded Blue Hens (25-9) would end up on cloud nine if they could upset No. 4 Michigan State (26-8) in the NCAA Tournament today. Tipoff is at 4:40 p.m. (TNT).

Delaware lost two CAA games – at Towson and at home against Drexel – in Threatt's absence.

But the CAA title still put Delaware here, in its first NCAA Tournament game in 15 years.

"I was right by their side all along," Threatt said of his suspension, during which he could not practice or even do conditioning drills with his teammates. "That was one of the things I wanted to make sure they knew, that I was still supporting them. When I got back I had a chip on my shoulder, just to go out and get these guys' trust back.

"What we did, winning the championship is big. But I also feel like being able to go undefeated in the conference would have meant a great deal to these guys too, so I just wanted to make up for it."

The 6-foot-2 Threatt had come to Delaware after a celebrated career at Highland Springs High in Richmond, Va., where he was first-team All-State and a third-team Parade All-American as a senior.

At Delaware, he came on late in his freshman season, keying an eight-game win streak that closed the regular season by averaging 16.3 points over Delaware's final 15 games. He was a CAA All-Rookie pick.

As a sophomore last year, Threatt was a third-team All-CAA choice and a first-time, full-time starter who averaged 13 points per game.

But Threatt was bothered by injuries at the outset of both seasons, and also was viewed as a high-maintenance player with casual practice habits.

"His first year, he didn't get started until the middle of January," Ross said. "This year, because he practiced from day one as hard as he could, it just translated to, when the season started, he was good from day one.

"It was never anything malicious with Jarvis. It was just his personality, just this free-wheeling, artsy type of guy who's so talented. It was because everything came so easy for him that he never had to work for it."

This year, Threatt has averaged career bests of 18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.56 assists per game, even while his percentages for free-throw (68.8) and 3-point (20.0) shooting have hit career lows.

He has shown a unique ability to get to the basket and above the rim while earning an average of 10 foul shots per game, enough for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo to take notice and be worried.

Izzo called Threatt a "phenomenal athlete [who] is as good with the ball and getting into the paint as anybody we played against."

"It's not like he makes as much happen on kickouts like some point guards do," Izzo added. "He makes it happen getting fouled. And [he's] very, very good at it. That can change a game dramatically. That's my biggest concern."

Ross, who has long admired Izzo and his program, made reference to the Spartans coach when asked about Threatt even before Delaware was matched up with Michigan State.

"I used to say to these guys [his assistants] 'I'm going to put myself in Tom Izzo's shoes,' " Ross said. "I'm sure Tom Izzo has a player that is ultra-talented who drives him nuts. I'm not going to give up on him, because he doesn't give up on his guys. What he does is, you've got to find a way to reach them, find a way to get to them, a creative way."

Ross also suspended Threatt for its important road game at Northeastern Jan. 18 after he'd skipped a class.

"That's what we're in this coaching thing for," Ross said. "It's almost like an academic advisor who only wants to deal with the 'A' students. We don't need you for them.

"This team doesn't need me for the guys who are going to do everything. They need me for – 'OK, you're a little bit of a challenge. What can I concoct today to get to you?' "

Patience has been helpful with Threatt, along with the positive feelings his teammates have for him.

Threatt has often talked about how close this Blue Hens team, and it was that knowledge that brought him to Delaware's games when he was suspended.

"Being in a negative light right there, I just wanted them to make sure I was still there," Threatt said. "I took a lot of grief but I guess it all paid off. I just wanted to stay close to my team. Coming back you don't want to work on chemistry again. So we stayed tight, I talked to them, hung out.

"The main thing they told me was 'Let's go win it when you get back.' "

Fellow guard and former roommate Kyle Anderson said having Threatt back made "a huge difference" for the Hens, because it freed Devon Saddler from ball-handling duty and led to more open shots for Saddler, Davon Usher and Anderson.

Besides that, Anderson added, it was another sign of the Hens' unselfish bond.

"That just comes back to the chemistry of this team, how close we are," said Anderson. "We saw him at games, cheering us on. We welcomed him back because we knew if we wanted to get where we wanted to get, we needed him."